Mapping themes in the study of new work practices

Both shaping and shaped by technological, economic and social facets, the world of work has witnessed a wide array of changes. This review article sets out to provide a synthesis of some of the main directions and insights of existing research connected to the new world of work. In particular, we approached the topic of new work practices through four key dimensions: (1) Conceptual and methodological dimensions in the study of new work practices; (2) Spatial and temporal manifestations of new work practices in the collaborative economy; (3) Individuals, organizations and new work configurations; (4) Power and control. The review article critically discusses the future of work and argues that the ‘new’ world of work simply repeats asymmetrical power relations and inequalities that characterise work activities, with the potential of exacerbating even further disparities, inequalities and precarity

Percepções dos indivíduos sobre as consequências do teletrabalho na configuração home-office: estudo de caso na Shell Brasil

Com o avanço da tecnologia da informação e da comunicação e as mudanças da sociedade, novas formas de flexibilização das relações de trabalho têm se disseminado, entre as quais o teletrabalho. Uma das modalidades de teletrabalho é aquela em que o indivíduo executa as tarefas de casa, mantendo, porém, o vínculo de emprego formal com uma organização. Este artigo focaliza, em especial, essa modalidade, levantando as percepções dos indivíduos que nela atuam sobre as consequências para a sua vida pessoal e profissional. Trata-se de estudo de caso na Shell Brasil, empresa que, desde 2000, promoveu a migração de alguns funcionários para o regime home-office. A metodologia de natureza qualitativa compreendeu entrevistas com profissionais desse grupo. Os resultados permitiram identificar um quadro conceitual que aponta elementos condicionantes e elementos que os indivíduos parecem utilizar como balizadores de suas avaliações sobre a condição de teletrabalhadores home-office. Entre os condicionantes, destacam-se características da pessoa, da organização, dos recursos e procedimentos disponibilizados, do trabalho, da família, do espaço doméstico e da sociedade. Como elementos balizadores surgem: o desempenho na empresa e os efeitos para a carreira, a relação com o trabalho, a vida pessoal e as relações sociais e em família

For Love or Money? Gender Differences in How One Approaches Getting a Job

Extant supply-side labor market theories conclude that women and men apply to different jobs but are unable to explain gender differences in how they may be have when applying to the same job. We correct this discrepancy by considering gendered approaches to the hiring process. We propose that applicants can emphasize either the relational or the transactional aspects of the job and that this affects whether they are hired. Relational job seekers focus on developing a social connection with their employer. In contrast, transactional job seekers focus on quantitative and mechanical aspects of the job. We expect women to be more relational and men to be more transactional and that this behavior will contribute to differences in hiring outcomes. Specifically, we contend that being relational suggest that one is more committed to the job at hand and therefore should increases the chances of being hired – holding constant competence. We examine behaviors in an online contract labor market for graphic designers, Elance.com where we find that women are more likely to be hired than men by about 4.1%. Quantitative linguistic analysis on the unstructured text of job proposals reveals that women (men) adopt more relational (transactional) language in their applications. These different approaches affect a job seeker’s likelihood of being hired and attenuate the gender gap we identified. Attenuation suggests that how one approaches the hiring process matters and that gender is correlated with a particular style of engagement